Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has strongly criticised the Federal Government and the Benue State Government for failing to prosecute suspects arrested in connection with ongoing violent attacks across Benue State.
In a statement released through the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), which he chairs, Falana said that although hundreds of suspects have been arrested over the years for crimes including mass killings, kidnappings, and illegal arms possession, very few have been brought to trial.
His comments follow President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue, where he ordered the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and prosecute those behind recent violence in the state. Falana, however, dismissed the president’s directive as symbolic, arguing that past arrests have rarely resulted in justice.
“It is undoubtedly clear that the authorities have continued to treat suspected killers in Benue State like sacred cows,” Falana said.
He also criticised the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for claiming that some residents of Yelwata community sheltered the attackers. Falana described the statement as an attempt to shift blame onto victims rather than address security lapses.
Falana highlighted several incidents from the past year as examples of inaction:
December 30, 2024: Police arrested 273 suspects for various crimes and recovered 20 firearms.
January 17, 2024: An illegal gun factory was discovered, and two suspects were arrested with locally made weapons.
April 17, 2025: Three herdsmen were arrested after 11 people were killed in Otobi, Otukpo LGA.
June 19, 2025: Community guards apprehended three suspected kidnappers at Otukpo motor park with ransom money.
Despite these arrests, Falana noted that no meaningful prosecutions have followed, and victims’ families are left without justice.
He called on the Benue State Attorney-General, Mr. Fidelis Mnyim, to take urgent steps to prosecute suspects and uphold the right to life as enshrined in Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution.
Falana warned that the ongoing failure to act would only encourage further bloodshed and deepen the public’s distrust in government and the rule of law.
